Pavement joint assembly



Oct. 23, 1962 w. R. WOOLLEY PAVEMENT JOINT ASSEMBLY 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Jan. 25, 1957 FIG. 1.

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1N VENTOR Oct. 23, 1962 w. R. WOOLLEY 3,059,553

PAVEMENT JOINT ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 25, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FlG.5.

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INVENTOR Oct. 23, 1962 w. R. WOOLLEY PAVEMENT JOINT ASSEMBLY 5Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 25, 1957 INVENTOR THL 2 l G 1 F f 2 L N/ L l 5B A R 2/ 3 5% A l H 5/ J WAYNE R. WOOLLEY United States Patent Ofitice3,059,553 Patented Oct. 23, 1962 Filed Jan. 25, 1957, Ser. No. 636,411 1(Ilaim. (Cl. 9418) This invention relates to a prefabricated road jointassembly for connecting adjacent slabs of highway pavements.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a construction whichmay be readily and economically fabricated in final form from standardpreformed parts and which also readily adapts itself to the propersupport and emplacement of dowel bars in the concrete with a minimum ofexpenditure of time and labor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pavement joint assemblyhaving maximum rigidity and lightness due to the use of a serriform typeof rod in combination with straight rods, which serriform rods, eventhough utilizing a minimum bulk of material, provide a truss-like efiectto add longitudinal stiffness and stability to the general constructionto thereby assure easy and convenient handling without distortion orcollapse from the time it is fabricated until installed. This type ofrod not only provides important structural features in the side framesbut may also be used to provide filler receiving or holding chairs.

A further object of the invention is to provide a primary pavement jointassembly which may be utilized to provide an expansion joint, acontraction joint, or even where specifications require a sawedcontraction joint.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a joint assemblyincluding a pair of identical side frame members composed of straightand serriform rods to support the spaced parallel dowels, said framemembers being secured together by a tie-wire at the time of assembly inthe plant to hold the side frames properly together during stacking,shipping and handling at the road site.

With the above and other objects in view which will readily appear asthe nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists inthe novel construction, combination, and arrangement of partshereinafter more thoroughly described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present joint assembly laid across aroadway and including the side frames and an expansion joint filler.

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the joint assembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial side elevation of the joint assembly shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an end elevation showing the adaptability of the presentconstruction to a contraction joint.

FIG. 6 is a partial side elevation of the arrangement shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the construction shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 8 is an end elevation of the improved pavement assemblyillustrating how it is used in a sawed contraction joint.

FIG. 9 is a partial side elevation of the construction shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a partial top plan view of the construction shown in FIGS. 8and 9.

FIGS. 11 and 12 are diagrammatic views illustrating how the individualjoints can be stacked.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several figures of the drawing.

As will be conveniently observed from FIG. 1, the present inventionincludes in its general organization a plurality of dowel bars Asupported by skeletal side frames B, and an expansion or contractionjoint unit designated generally as C, where the specifications requireeither type of construction. Where the invention is used in a pavementwhich is sawed to provide a groove for receiving the joint seal, theintermediate expansion or contraction joint parts are omitted as shownin FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 thereby utilizing only the primary or basicframework.

Each side frame includes lower straight rods 1 which extend continuouslythroughout the predetermined length of the joint and the upper straightrods 2 disposed at a higher elevation and also inwardly of the bottomrods 1 which rest on the sub-grade, or, on the usual plates where thesub-grade is sand or otherwise soft.

The lower and upper rods 1 and 2 are connected by the inclined serriformtruss rods 3. It will therefore be seen from FIGS. 2, 5 and 8 forexample, that the serriform truss rods 3 converge toward each other inan upward direction. These rods have angular peaks and valleyssubstantially on the order of a series of continuously connectedreversely related V-shaped elements.

The bottom valleys 4 of the serriform rods terminate substantially inthe plane of the lower sub-grade engaging rods land are secured bywelding or the like to the related lower straight rod 1. Also, it willbe observed, particularly from FIG. 1, that the upper peaks 5 extendabove the horizontal plane of the upper rods 2 thereby providing atriangular closed bight portion defined by the angular peaks 5 and thatportion of the upper rod 2 identified as 2 to provide dowel receivingopenings. This arrangement has the advantage of providing weldinggrounds at the most effective points. The upper peak portions 5 arewelded as at 66 to the upper rod 2 at the location of all the dowels A.However, only the upper peaks 5 of the rods 3 are welded as at 7 toalternate dowels A. This arrangement applies to all forms of theinvention. Thus, it will be seen that the ends of the dowels A at thesame side of the joint are alternately secured fast within the angularbight portion of the upper peaks 5.

Where an expansion joint is used as shown in detail in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4,the free end of each alternate dowel has a sliding fit in a cup 8frictionally held in the angular bight portion of the related sideframe.

Thus, in an expansion joint form of assembly, where a wood or otherpreformed expansion joint element in the form of a filler 9 is used, itis supported or embraced between a pair of relatively closely spacedserriform rods 10, which provide in eifect a chair for receiving saidelement. These rods are of the same size and type as the rods 3 but areassembled out of alinement with the rods 3 as will be clear from FIGS. 3and 6. This is accomplished by simply shifting the entire rod with itspeaks and valleys laterally of the joint assembly and welding orotherwise securing alternate upwardly inclined legs 11 of the members tothe medial portion of the dowel by welding as indicated at 12.

As will be seen from FIGS. 1, 3 and 6, the out of registry relationshipof the serriform bars 3 and 10 not only provide convenient points ofanchorage but they may be readily spaced to receive either an expansionjoint filler 9 or a contraction joint element 13 as shown in FIGS. 5, 6and 7.

As will be apparent from FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, a contraction joint does notuse cups on opposite ends of alternate dowels. Looking at FIG. 7, forexample, one end of each dowelbar is welded at 7 to its peak 5 and at 12but the opposite end is free to slide in its bight.

In FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the contraction joint element 13 has, inclinedslots 13) tofit over the dowels but it is supported between the spacedserriform rods 10 whose upwardly disposed legs 11 are welded at 12 tothe dowels.

Of course, where the invention is to be used in a pavement in which thejoint seal is formed by sawing, the spaced serriform joint sealsupporting rods 101t) are omitted and it is only necessary to use thebasic unit. The opposite ends of alternate dowels are respectively fastand free as described in FIGS. 57.

In practice, depending upon the specifications of the road in which theassembly will be placed, the dowel bars A, side frames B and expansionjoints will be assembled at the point of manufacture. It is thereforeconvenient to ship the complete joints in stacked order as indicated inFIG 11. i

As will be sene from FIGS. 7 and 10, for example, the upper straightrods 2 of each side frame are connected by light gauge tie-wires 14whose ends are welded in place at the time of assembly in the plant andthe joints stacked, perhaps, ten joints in a stack. After the jointassembly has been placed in position on the grade of the road, thesesmall tie-wires may be easily cut, thus permitting installation of acontraction plate and allowing unrestricted opening and closing of thejoint.

:The trend is away from the use of expansion joints and toward the useof contraction joints only. For the small number of expansion jointslikely to be used it is expected to ship the joint assembled except forthe expansion joint material. Thus, it will be necessary for thecontractor to separate the joint into two halves, insert the expansionmaterial and reassemble. As the purpose of the wire connector or crosstie-wire 14 is to hold the side frames the proper distance apart duringshipping and handling, it is not necessary to replace, this wire afterinserting the expansion material.

Idaho: 7

A road paving joint assembly, comprising, in combination, opposite sideframes each including a lower sub-grade engaging rod and an upper roddisposed in a plane inwardly of the plane of the related lower rod,serriform rods having their lower apices secured to said lower rods andbodily inclined upwardly and inwardly from the lower rods towards saidupper rods, the upper apices of said sern'form rods secured to the sidesof the upper rods below the apices thereof to provide loops, the lowerapices providing a base for the assembly of greater width at the bottomof said serriform rods than at the top thereof firmly to support theassembly, spaced dowel bars extending transversely of said upper rodsthrough said loops, a joint filler between said frames, and a pair ofserriform spaced parallel vertically disposed joint filler embracingrods supported on the medial portions of the dowel bars at a higherelevation than the serriform rods of the side frames by Welding thesubstantially central portions of the upwardly inclined legs of thejoint filler rods between their upper and lower peaks tothe bars,whereby, the included angular peaks and valleys of the serriform jointfiller embracing rods are vertically and horizontally staggered inrelation to the serriform rods of the side frames and embrace and holdsaid joint filler.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,291,298 Walker Ian. 14, 1919 1,804,132 Tashjian May S, 1931 2,154,748Hillberg Apr. 18, 1939 2,627,793 White Feb..,10, 1953 2,642,789 BrickmanJune 23, 1953

